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Synonyms

doe

1 American  
[doh] / doʊ /

noun

plural

does,

plural

doe

  1. the female of the deer, antelope, goat, rabbit, and certain other animals.

DOE 2 American  

  1. Department of Energy.

  2. Also d.o.e. depends on experience; depending on experience: used in stating a salary range in help-wanted ads.

DOE 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. (in Canada and, formerly, in Britain) Department of the Environment

  2. (in the US) Department of Energy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Doe 2 British  
/ dəʊ /

noun

  1. law (formerly) the plaintiff in a fictitious action, Doe versus Roe, to test a point of law See also Roe

  2. an unknown or unidentified male or female person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
doe 3 British  
/ dəʊ /

noun

  1. the female of the deer, hare, rabbit, and certain other animals

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of doe

First recorded before 1000; Middle English do, Old English dā; cognate with Danish daa; akin to Old English dēon “to suck”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Such images urge an ironic interpretation of the show’s title, “Precious Moments,” which refers to a line of collectible, often Christian-themed figurines that depict cute, mostly white children with doe eyes and oversized heads.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

The “Christmas magic” that allows the doe to fly does not work on other creatures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Hamilton now finds himself pushed doe to eighth, as the likes of Alex Albon in the Williams, his team-mate George Russell and the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris bank faster laps.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2024

Duntsova stresses she doe not see herself as an opposition politician, but one motivated by “human, usual, ordinary ethical values.”

From Seattle Times • Dec. 10, 2023

“Beginning now,” says Judd, and I can tell he’s gettin’ a bit edgy that someone else might come through the field, wondering about those rifle shots, and see how he got a doe.

From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.